Sacramento daily record-union., 1887-08-06
CALIFORNIA VS.. FLORIDA.
THE RELATIVE ADVANTAGES FOR
ORANGE CULTURE.
Serious Drawbacks as TO Soil and
Climate I'm Florida-The Tide
Of People Turned This Way.

an extended tour through the Southerl
States, and in an interview with him som
facts OF interest are CLEANED from him. TIL
object of his trip was in reference 10 pro
curing stock of young orange trees for tn
coming season. Mr.. Williamson has hat
forty years experience as horticulturist
is clear observer and a man of good judg
ment in matters relating to fruit culture.
He says: now think more of Californi,
than ever before l believe it to be tn,
best country in the world, the Eden o
earth, the God-fayored of all countries.
do not believe our people appreciate the
blessing they enjoy. / have taken severa
quite lengthy journeys before this one, and
always come back more and more in love
with the Golden State. | had expected to
ind in the far-famed Florida and in por-
hons of Louisiana rivals to some extent OF
California, but in this / was mistaken
After trying impartially to give them credi;
for all their natural resources, and all the
advantages they possess, they sink into
lnsignlficance when compared with those
OF our own State. And the world is begin
ming to see this. The tide of immigration
that has been pouring into Florida for
several years past has been turned to Cali
tornis, and the tide is going to continue to
flow this way like a mighty torrent until
We have the most densely-populated State
in the Union. Every man that has seen
both countries must pronounce in favor OF
California. This man, in turn, will tell
his friends, and so the word will be passed
around that the Eden is found, until the
most wonderful influx of immigrants that
was ever seen will pour in upon US. And
II will be the better classes The tramps
will be replaced by the people of affiuence
and wealth. men of enterprise and push.
and the broker and chronic growler will
have to step down and out or keen nace
with the times.
The boom is no imaginary thing. II is
coming, and will soon be upon us and II is
my firm belief that we will not have to live
long to see it pouring in upon us in such
proportions that the most sanguine will
look on in amazement and say, "Will the
end never Gomez"
Florida has been favored in past wears
with an immense influx OF health and
home-see kers: They have gone there and
spent their time and money in the hopes
of recovered health and fortunes to be
made, but they have not found all the re-
suits hoped for. The hotel keepers and
land-sharks have heeced them, and they
are now leaving by thousands and seeking
country where they can live the year
round. Most all the better citizens of
Florida live like the wild goose-they go
South (or come home) in the winter. and
go North in the summer.
We have always heard or read of Florida
as great fruit country This has been
over-estimated. 1t is true they raise large
quantities of fine oranges, but even these
are raised at very much greater expense
than in California. First, the land is all
heavily timbered and is expensive to clear,
and when cleared is very poor, being no.
thing but bed of sand, and no crops of
any kind can be rsised without the use of
commercial fertilizers. To keep orange
trees growing, there must from $40 to 500
worth of fertilizer be used on each acre
each year. Then again, during the rainy
season, which is from June till October,
they have one continuous fight with the
wild crab grass, which, in that wet and hot
climate, is worse to combat than our con-
tolVoiiis, or wild morning glory
A gentleman who has 200 acres in orange
orchard told me that he had to hoe every
inch of it by hand three or four times
every summer. besides horse cultivating.
and then he could not keep it down. And
IL lb so WIN all Otler crops.
Again, they cannot raise, with any de-
gree of success the deciduous fruits, such
as apples, peaches, plums, cherries, etc.
They now claim to have discovered certain
lines, or families, of peaches, plums and
grapes which they can grow successfully.
But even if they can it is utterly impossible
to grow fruit that will ship to market in
warm, wet climate like that in Florida,
where 1t is very warm and wet all the
time the fruit is growing and ripening.
They have warm rains almost every day
during the whole summer and fall. Fruit
grown in such climate cannot keep. |
saw quantities of peaches rotting on the
trees; also the Kelsey Japan plum, which
is one of the best keeping plum l ever saw.
And though they are not one-third the dis
tance from New York that we are, thew
never can get their deciduous fruits
into that market in good condition.
The same is true, to a certain extent,
with their oranges. They do not possess
the keeping qualities of ours. Their entire
crop has been gathered and marketed in
few weeks time, while ours will hang on
the trees from four TO six months after
they are ripe. Theirs, on the contrary.
will soon fall off and rot. This is not due
to any fault in varieties but is the result of
their moist, humid climate. They grow
all of our best varieties, and many kinds
that we have not got, but which we ought
to have. The planters of Florida deserye
great credit for the efforts they have made
to raise there standard varieties of oranges
and they certainly have very fine list of
buds of which large purchase was made
by me and will be planted here, believing
them to be more profitable than even our
celebrated Washington Navel, in that they
!,
bearers. II is believed that any variety that
bears we'll in Florida will bear well here.
Their dry season is in the winter and
spring. 1t is very common thing for il to
be SO dry there in the spring, Just when
the trees are in blossom. that the leaves of
the trees will wilt and curl up, and the
blossoms and young fruit drop off. On
this account many are preparing FOR spring
irrigation to assist the trees to hold their
fruit.
Another point of interest 10 those who
are giving any attention TO orange culture.
is that in Florida all budding is done-on
the wild or sour orange stock, which l am
thoroughly convinced is superior in every
respect to the sweet stock. NV faith is So
strong in this that | never intend to plant
another orange tree on any other root as
long as l can get that. i believe it is more
hardy, and will stand more exposure and
rough usage than the apple root.
As to oyer-production in California, l dc
not believe that the present generation. nel
any of our grand children, will ever live to
see first-class oranges, or first-class fruit oi
any kind, go begging for a market. AS tc
oranges, California can produce the best
and they will keep longer than the oranges
from any other country; and fortunately
they come at time when the market is
comparatively bare of oranges from else.
where AS to other fruits, as | stated in my
article on fruit culture in California, pub.
lished in your last New Years edition, dc
not believe that intelligent fruit-growine
will ever be overdone in this State.
To describe the varieties of Florida or
anges would take mora space than you
would care to devote to it, but we have
printed circulars describing them which We
Will furnish you, or any who may wish.
In conclusion, l will say that / returned
from Florida-the so-ealied natural hons
of the orange-with the full assurance and
satisfaction that in California we not only
have superior land and climate, and sur.
roundings, for orange culture, bat that tht
industry can be prosecuted in our portion
of the State with less than one half of the
risk and difficulties. and with two-fold
profit.
THIS MORNING, Carroll & Gems, proprie-
tors of the California Market, 7l2 < street
call the attention of their friends and ths